BENGALURU: Four minor boys were arrested from a Dhaba on Bengaluru's Airport Road by Devanahalli police earlier this week and 13 two-wheelers were recovered from them.
The teenage boys had apparently stolen these vehicles and sought inspiration via a YouTube video on how to break their locks, start bikes without keys, and with the help of ignition wires, among other things.
The bikes, which include Royal Enfield bullets and a few KTM ones, were stolen by the gang over the last two months. The vehicles are valued at Rs 7.65 lakh.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, DCP North East Division, Bengaluru, C K Baba, said that following a spate of theft of motorcycles, an alert was issued to police personnel to closely monitor eateries along highways, particularly near the airport.
“Our cops recently found four youngsters having dinner at a Dhaba around 3 am. They had a couple of high-end bikes with them. A tool kit was also recovered from one of their bags. On sustained interrogation, they confessed to stealing numerous bikes and picked up different techniques through YouTube,” he said.
The group, aged between 13 and 17, had learned the tough skill of dismantling the sturdy, sophisticated locks on these bikes by watching videos repeatedly.
“In some cases, they did not even break the lock but merely cut some wires beneath the lock and took off with the bikes,” the DCP said.
The minors had sold a few bikes at throwaway prices to individuals familiar to them. “We had to visit different places and recover all the 13 bikes,” he further added.
One of the accused is pursuing an ITI course while the others are PUC students.
“Technology is clearly a double-edged sword. Out of all material available online, the minors chose to pick up these negative aspects," the DCP concluded.